1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an article of jewelry and a method for making the article, and more particularly to an article of jewelry including a casting including inner and outer frames and a unitary decorative portion disposed within the casting.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
There are many different types of costume jewelry on the market today. In designing new articles of costume jewelry, a balance must be struck between the durability, visual appeal and the ultimate retail cost of an article. In the past, most articles of jewelry which fell into the less expensive range tended to suffer from a lack of durability and visual appeal.
Prior art jewelry articles have attempted to address the above-noted concerns. U.S. Pat. No. 734,066 to Heintz discloses an article of jewelry having a base and a number of separating webs which define a number of cavities therebetween. An enamel or other material is set into the cavities, thereby producing a multi-colored article. While the resulting article is visually appealing, the separate pieces of enamel may be prone to falling out of the cavities if the article is impacted in any way. Furthermore, due to the base associated with this design, it is not possible to effectively use a transparent or translucent material in the cavities, since light cannot be transmitted through the material because of the base. U.S. Pat. No. 2,841,828 to Osborn discloses an article of jewelry which includes an outer frame, an inner frame and a material which is deposited into the spaces formed within and between the inner and outer frames. Once the article is complete, it is removed from a base plate. While this article allows the effective use of transparent or translucent materials since the base plate is removed after forming, the article is still susceptible to being damaged since only the adhesion between the frames and the material holds the material in place. The fact that the article consists of a number of discrete color sections makes it prone to losing pieces of material which may be jarred from the article.
What is needed therefore is an article of jewelry which is visually appealing, durable and inexpensive to produce.
The present invention includes an article of jewelry having a cast portion including an inner frame and an outer frame, the inner and outer frames defining an aperture therebetween, and a number of spokes interconnecting the inner and outer frames. The spokes are interconnected between the inner and outer frame in such a way that the spokes span the aperture from the front portion of the inner frame to the front portion of the outer frame, while not interconnecting the rear portions of the inner and outer frames. A unitary core is disposed between the inner and outer frames and the spokes.
According to one embodiment of the invention, an article of jewelry is disclosed, comprising a first frame having a front portion and a rear portion and a second frame having a front portion and a rear portion. The first frame and the second frame cooperate to define an aperture therebetween, the aperture comprising a front portion which coincides with the front portions of the first and second frames and a rear portion which coincides with the rear portions of the first and second frames and a rear portion. The article further comprises a number of spokes connected between the front portion of the first frame and the front portion of the second frame, the spokes dividing the front portion of the aperture into a number of sub-apertures, and a unitary core disposed within the aperture. The unitary core fills the rear portion of the aperture and the front portion of the aperture, including the sub-apertures, and encompassing all but an outer surface of the spokes, thereby giving an impression that the unitary core comprises a plurality of pieces. Each of the number of spokes comprises an arch which spans the front portion of the aperture and the unitary core is formed from a translucent material. The first and second frames lie within a common plane, wherein the front portion of the inner and outer frames, the spokes, and the front portion of the aperture are disposed to one side of the common plane, and the rear portion of the inner and outer frames and the rear portion of the aperture are disposed to an opposite side of the common plane.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a method of forming an article of jewelry is disclosed. The method comprises casting a frame portion which includes a first frame having a front portion and a rear portion, a second frame having a front portion and a rear portion and a number of spokes interconnecting said front portions of said first and second frames and molding a unitary core into said frame portion between said first and second frames such that said core substantially encompasses all but an outer surface of said spokes.
Other features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.